Atop the valley.
"Die!"
The burly man leaped out from behind a rock, roaring as he pounced toward Jiang Ning like a ferocious tiger.
Clang
The sound of a sword rang in Jiang Ning's ears.
A flash of sword light followed.
The one who had struck was Xie Xiaojiu.
In the next moment.
Xie Xiaojiu was sent flying backward, her sword flying out of her hand and embedding itself into the trunk of a nearby tree.
"Sir, he's at the peak of the seventh rank!"
"He's too strong!"
"Sir, retreat!!"
Xie Xiaojiu shouted in alarm.
Facing the bare-handed burly man.
In just one exchange, she had been utterly defeated.
The brief encounter had given her a taste of the man's terrifying strength.
At this moment.
"Die!"
After slapping Xie Xiaojiu away, the burly man turned into a furious golden figure charging straight at Jiang Ning.
In an instant, an overwhelming aura of menace and killing intent erupted from his body.
Over the years, he had taken countless lives, and now the souls of those he had killed seemed to materialize as a palpable force of malice directed at Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning frowned slightly, feeling a hint of unease.
In his eyes, the burly man seemed surrounded by black flames.
The intangible aura of malice had become almost tangible, affecting his senses.
At this moment.
The burly man saw his reflection in Jiang Ning's pupils, surrounded by black flames, and a cold smile spread across his face.
The solidification of killing intent, used to mentally oppress his enemies, was a technique he had relied on for survival.
Thanks to this technique, he saved his own life countless times on the battlefield.
He had joined the Black Lotus Sect and the Black Mountain Riders precisely because of this technique.
To solidify killing intent, one had to kill.
And where was the easiest place to kill?
The battlefield!
At this moment.
Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze cleared.
The reflection of the demonic burly man in his pupils returned to its ordinary state.
"Impossible!!" Seeing Jiang Ning's clear eyes, the burly man's expression changed, his face filled with disbelief.
This sudden shift caused the burly man's imposing aura to falter, losing its previous dominance.
"Nothing is impossible," Jiang Ning said calmly.
He then raised his palm and struck out at the burly man.
The forces of water and fire intertwined in his hand.
Bang
A dull sound echoed through the air, and the burly man recoiled as if struck by lightning.
In the next moment.
His expression changed drastically, and his eyes filled with extreme fear.
"Impossible!!!"
As soon as these words left his mouth.
The burly man watched as his right arm began to disintegrate.
His flesh and blood dissolved before his eyes.
In an instant.
His right arm was completely obliterated.
Moreover, he could feel two parallel, intertwined forces within his body.
These forces continued to spread through his body.
Wherever they passed, his flesh, bones, and tendons were ground into nothingness.
He looked up in terror, his eyes gradually dimming until they became lifeless.
After two breaths.
Thud
The two-meter-three burly man's body collapsed backward, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
If someone were to examine his body now, they would find that all his internal organs had been reduced to dust.
All that remained was an empty shell.
Jiang Ning was slightly stunned by what he saw.
"Was it that easy?" He couldn't help but feel surprised.
The brief exchange had allowed him to gauge the burly man's strength.
The seventh rank of martial arts, with tendons like a dragon's.
This level of martial prowess was above his own.
Yet, in just one encounter, he had killed the man with a single move.
"Is this the power of the Water-Fire True Force, an advanced martial art?"
Jiang Ning felt a pleasant surprise.
This was the first time he had used the Water-Fire True Force in combat.
The results had far exceeded his expectations.
In just one simple exchange, he had killed a man whose martial rank was slightly higher than his own.
On the other side.
Xie Xiaojiu, who had just steadied herself, stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, utterly shocked.
Having fought the burly man herself, she knew exactly how terrifying he was.
His body was like forged iron.
He had slapped her sword away without a scratch, a testament to his monstrous physical strength.
The sheer power he wielded had made her feel utterly hopeless.
The peak of the seventh rank.
This was the level of tendons like a dragon's.
It was far beyond what she, at the eighth rank, could handle.
Such strength would have placed him in the top ten of Luoshui County.
Even someone like Wang Jin, the constable, might not have been a match for this man in his prime.
And now.
This man, who she had thought invincible, lay lifeless on the ground.
Xie Xiaojiu turned her gaze to Jiang Ning, her expression now filled with complexity.
Jiang Ning's performance had left her completely baffled.
In her eyes, even a sixth-rank martial artist might not have been capable of such a feat.
"What level of strength does the sir possess?"
This question lingered in Xie Xiaojiu's mind.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Ning looked down at the valley and drew his bow once more.
Twang
Twang
Twang
Arrows shot through the air like rainbows.
Each one became a harbinger of death.
Every arrow loosed claimed a life.
Without their leader, the Black Mountain Army was completely demoralized, their hearts filled with despair.
No matter how they tried to dodge the arrows.
They could not escape their fate.
No matter how they twisted and turned, the arrows would always find their mark, killing them instantly.
On the other side.
Liu Zhaonan and Liu Sansheng, having retreated from the battlefield, watched from a distance.
"So strong!!" Liu Zhaonan murmured as he watched the arrows fall.
"Indeed, incredibly strong!!" Liu Sansheng, standing beside him, also watched with a complex expression.
He saw that as the arrows fell.
The enemies who had given them so much trouble were now being slaughtered with ease.
Each arrow pierced through armor, claiming a life.
Moments later.
No more arrows fell, and the valley was littered with the cold, lifeless bodies of the Black Mountain Army.
"Brother Liu, what should we do now?" Liu Zhaonan asked.
"Let's go thank him," Liu Sansheng said, looking at Jiang Ning, who had descended from the cliff.
Hearing this, Liu Zhaonan nodded.
"Everyone, follow us!" Liu Zhaonan called out.
The group quickly followed the two of them.
Zhao Hu, clutching his severed arm, could only grit his teeth and follow despite the pain.
As Jiang Ning and Xie Xiaojiu landed, they saw the group approaching.
"Greetings, Commander Jiang!" Liu Zhaonan was the first to bow.
"Greetings, Commander Jiang!" Liu Sansheng also bowed, his expression complicated.
He remembered that not long ago, he had visited his sister, Liu Wanwan, and her family.
At the time, his brother-in-law, Jiang Li, had asked him to help Jiang Ning join the Patrol Bureau.
Now, he could only bow before Jiang Ning.
And if it hadn't been for Jiang Ning's intervention today, he felt that their entire group would have been wiped out.
In other words, Jiang Ning had saved his life today.
"Can you help me take these bodies back?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Of course!" Liu Zhaonan immediately thumped his chest. "Commander Jiang, don't worry. We'll handle the cleanup. All the merits from this battle will be properly recorded and reported to the bureau."
"Good," Jiang Ning nodded.
In the next moment.
He left with Xie Xiaojiu.
Only after Jiang Ning had completely disappeared into the distance.
Whew
Liu Zhaonan let out a sigh of relief, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
"Brother Liu, Commander Jiang's presence is overwhelming!"
Liu Sansheng also nodded solemnly.
"His strength is unfathomable."
"Unfathomable indeed!" Liu Zhaonan agreed wholeheartedly.
Recalling what had just happened, he felt that Jiang Ning might even be on par with the four mysterious commanders.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Ning felt a surge of joy.
In another spatial ring he carried, there were three bodies.
These were the three men who had charged at him earlier.
After a quick inspection.
All three were martial artists at the tendon-refining level.
In other words, they were all seventh-rank martial artists.
According to the Patrol Bureau's rules.
Eliminating a seventh-rank martial artist from the Black Mountain Army earned five thousand contribution points.
With three seventh-rank martial artists, that alone amounted to fifteen thousand contribution points.
This was nearly a third of the fifty thousand points needed.
In other words, he was almost a third of the way to earning enough points for the Dragon Ascension Pill.
"Adding the contributions from the rest of the valley, the total should be close to twenty thousand points," Jiang Ning thought to himself.
Moments later.
The two found the small boat and left North Hill Mountain.
That evening.
Patrol Bureau.
"Brother Jiang, this is truly a great achievement!" Ye Qiu laughed as he approached Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning asked, "Brother Ye, has the verification been completed?"
"It's done!" Ye Qiu nodded, then continued, "Three seventh-rank martial artists, seven eighth-rank, and twenty-one ninth-rank."
As he spoke, Ye Qiu took out a small pouch from his waist and tossed it to Jiang Ning.
He added, "Brother Jiang, these are your contribution points. Count them."
Jiang Ning smiled as he caught the pouch.
He opened it and counted the points.
A total of nineteen thousand five hundred and fifty points, more than a third of what was needed for the Dragon Ascension Pill.
Seeing Jiang Ning finish counting, Ye Qiu asked, "Does it match?"
"It does," Jiang Ning nodded.
Ye Qiu sighed in admiration.
"Brother Jiang, you're truly remarkable!"
"Among that group of Black Mountain soldiers, there were five Black Mountain Riders, and you managed to take them all down single-handedly!"
Jiang Ning smiled, "Just luck."
Ye Qiu shook his head, "This isn't just luck! Brother Jiang, your archery is truly exceptional! I never expected that the Wind and Thunder Arrow Technique you recently acquired would be mastered to such a level."
Outside the Patrol Bureau.
"Sir!!"
Xie Xiaojiu called out as she saw Jiang Ning lift the carriage curtain.
Jiang Ning nodded, "Let's go back."
"Yes!" Xie Xiaojiu nodded.
As the carriage began to move, Jiang Ning fell into deep thought.
After a brief exchange with Ye Qiu, he had left.
From their conversation, he realized.
That the resources he had exchanged at the internal affairs office were no secret.
The Wind and Thunder Arrow Technique was already known to them.
After a moment of contemplation.
Jiang Ning shook his head.
Forget it!
It doesn't matter if they know.
Even if they know my martial rank, they won't know my true combat strength!
With this in mind, Jiang Ning understood.
That his survival didn't rely solely on his martial rank, but on his skills.
It was the continuous breakthroughs in his skills that had brought him to where he was.
That had made his strength far beyond what his martial rank suggested.
This allowed him to constantly exceed others' expectations and understanding.
And to remain unafraid of certain threats.
The next day.
Jiang Ning opened his eyes.
[Name]: Jiang Ning
[Source Energy]: 35.47
[Skills]:
Literacy (Third Breakthrough 688/4000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses, Quick Thinking)
Five Animals Fist (First Breakthrough 733/2000) (Trait: Essence Storage in Organs)
Firewood Chopping Saber Technique+ (Fifth Breakthrough 6000/6000) (Traits: Versatility, Swift as Wind, Mastery, Unity of Man and Saber, Natural Saber Talent)
Internal Alchemy Cultivation (Proficient 687/5000)
Indestructible Vajra Body (Proficient 453/5000)
Water Affinity+ (Fifth Breakthrough 6000/6000) (Traits: Underwater Breathing, Water Manipulation, Water Affinity, Cloud and Rain Control, Water Spirit Body)
Wind and Thunder Archery (Third Breakthrough 49/4000) (Traits: Wind and Thunder Breath, Heart's Archery, Wind and Thunder Arrows)
Water-Fire True Force (Proficient 45/500)
After glancing at his status panel, Jiang Ning closed it.
For now, his skills couldn't be improved further.
For the skills where experience points weren't an issue, the real challenge was the source energy required.
For example, both the Firewood Chopping Saber Technique and Water Affinity had maxed-out experience points.
But to break through again, either skill would require five hundred source energy points.
As for the Wind and Thunder Archery, while gaining experience wasn't difficult, Jiang Ning estimated that breaking through again would require a full thousand source energy points.
Whether five hundred or a thousand, both were beyond his current means.
"For now, I should focus on my martial foundation," Jiang Ning thought to himself.
On the other side.
"Is this information accurate?" Liu Linmen asked, his expression one of surprise as he looked at the report handed to him.
"Reporting to the Hall Master, it's true!"
Hearing this, Liu Linmen's expression turned grave.
"While two Patrol Bureau captains led their teams and failed to defeat that remnant force of the Black Mountain Army, Commander Jiang single-handedly slaughtered them all with his archery."
"It seems my earlier guess was correct!"
"The killer that night was indeed the mysterious Commander Jiang! No wonder I haven't seen him around these days!"
Liu Linmen muttered to himself.
Upon reading the report, he was ninety percent certain.
From what he knew, no one in Luoshui County possessed the terrifying archery skills displayed that night.
Nor could anyone summon a rainstorm that covered half the county.
Rain-summoning techniques were unheard of, even in the Yellow Heaven Sect.
"Commander Jiang is hiding something!" Liu Linmen thought to himself, confirming some of his earlier suspicions.
Whether it was the rain that night, the details in the report, or Jiang Ning's current strength, Liu Linmen felt that Jiang Ning might be similar to the legendary Buddhist and Daoist prodigies.
"But why did he attack me that night?"
After a moment of thought.
Liu Linmen shook his head slowly.
No!
Perhaps attacking me was a diversion!
The real target that night was someone else among those he killed!
As for attacking me, perhaps it was to mislead me.
Thinking this.
Liu Linmen recalled the first person Jiang Ning had killed that night.
A hall master from the Worship God Sect.
Someone who had come to Luoshui County with him to stabilize the chaos caused by the Worship God Sect.
"Could it be..."
"That Commander Jiang has a grudge against the Worship God Sect?"
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